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Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c35.s5: The Kāśyapīyas

Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c35.s5

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The Kāśyapīyas

v2.c35.s5.1

The Kāśyapīya school was known by three other names, Sthāvīrīya, Saddharmavarṣaka, or Suvarṣaka. It issued out of the Sarvāstivādins on account of certain opinions which were more in agreement with those of the Sthaviravādins or Vibhajyavādins than with those of the Sarvāstivādins. This seems to be the cause of their being called a Sthāvīrīya. Its third name, Suvarṣaka, appears in the works of Tāranātha and Ch’en-lun, while Saddharmavarṣaka in Bhavya’s treatise.²

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² Prof. Przyluski identifies the Kāśyapīyas with the Haimavatas (*see infra*, p. 170).

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About the literature of the Kāśyapīyas Prof. Przyluski writes that it had a canon similar to that of the Dharmaguptas and had the following divisions:

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| Vinaya-piṭaka | Bhikṣu-prātimokṣa / Bhikṣuṇī-prātimokṣa / Kaṭhina / Mātṛkā / Ekottara . |
| Sūtra-piṭaka | Dīrgha-āgama / Madhyama-āgama / Ekottara-āgama / Saṃyukta-āgama / Kṣudraka-āgama . |
| Abhidharma-piṭaka | Sapraśnaka-vibhaṅga / Apraśnaka-vibhaṅga / Saṃgraha / Comparative tables . |

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To the Kāśyapīyas Vasumitra attributes the following doctrines:—

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(i) Arhats have both kṣayajñāna and anutpādajñāna, and are not subject to passions.

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(ii) Saṃskāras perish every moment.

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(iii) The past which has not produced its fruit exists, the present exists, and some of the future exists. This opinion is discussed in the Kathāvatthu (I. 8) and is the only doctrine attributed in this text to the Kassapikas.¹

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¹ *Kvu.* I. 8: Avipakkavipākaṃ atthi, vipakkavipākaṃ natthīti anāgatam atthīti ādisu ekaccam atthīti uppādinadhamme sandhāya vadatīti.

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